Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez has once again spoken about the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which will be the topic of debate ahead of the El Clasico this weekend.

The contest between Real Madrid and Barcelona this weekend is unlikely to be of huge significance in the title race since it is already Barcelona’s to lose.Following the latest round of league action, Madrid remain 10 points behind leaders Barcelona. The club will lose any chance of winning the league title this season if they get anything other than a victory at the Santiago Bernebeu this weekend.

Since there is less pressure on Barcelona to get three points, there is likely to be more emphasis on the contrast between Ronaldo and Messi. The duo have come up against each other on numerous occasions in the league with each of them having the best moments. As a career, Messi has enjoyed more success at a team level and on a personal level. The never-ending debate between the better of the two players is something that rages on even now. Barcelona supporters have been in favour of Messi while Madrid faithful have regarded Ronaldo to be the best.

Messi recently claimed that he does not think about competing with any other name. Instead, he wants to improve on his own performances."Ronaldo is a goalscorer, and Messi is also a goalscorer; however, Messi is a much better team player than Ronaldo.I think Messi is the best footballer in the world. In football, there are two important elements: fitness and intelligence. Ronaldo is very fit but Messi has both the fitness as well as the intelligence, so simply put he is better," said Xavi. The Barcelona legend is currently playing with Middle Eastern fitAl-Sadd after having left the club in the summer.